‘American Idol’
isn’t kind to teens

Does that mean that the rest of the youngsters can go ahead and pack it in, thankful for the chance to appear on national television before heading back to their junior year of college?

Of course not. Carrie Underwood remains one of the favorites to win the whole thing. She's one of only three women left, but at this point that probably helps her because it makes her stand out that much more.

The same holds true for Vonzell Solomon, who seems to win more fans and more praise every week.

Underwood, Solomon and Nikko Smith have gotten as much praise as anyone over the past few weeks, and none of them are older than 22.

Moreover, a few thousand votes either way, and Nadia Turner or Anwar Robinson might have gotten the ax; Turner was in the bottom three for the second time already this season, while Robinson was left standing with Sierra until the final announcement.

Vital importance of consistency
But whether it's that additional year or two of experience or simply a different level of talent, all of the above seem to be a lot better at maintaining a consistent level of performance from week to week. In fact, what likely saved both Turner and Robinson is that consistency.

Turner has lost her status as a contender somehow, but she still brings a ton of talent every week and has one of the best stage presences of anyone. And well she should — it's not like she hasn't performed before, she's in a rock/soul/Christian band back in Florida.

Robinson hasn't been as strong, and the judges finally called him on his tendency to make up for uneven performances with strong finishes after his rendition of "I Believe I Can Fly" this week. But as far as vocalists go, he's been one of the best.

Sierra has been one of the best pure vocalists among the women, but has also been less steady than the rest. While Robinson has been about the same every week, Sierra's either been one of the best — as she was two weeks ago — or eminently forgettable, as she was this week. Her top performances were enough to get her through, but not enough to develop a  fan base to keep her around when times were tough.

Her exit didn't please the judges, making this perhaps the first time all season that the Randy Jackson-Paula Abdul-Simon Cowell troika had cause to be unhappy. When faced with the bottom two of Robinson and Sierra, Randy Jackson felt compelled to remind the audience that "this is a singing competition, and those are two of the better voices up there."

Paula Abdul had more advice, admonishing viewers to keep calling for the people that they like. But as any high-school teacher knows, it's not like teenagers don't have cell phones. They, like everyone else, seem to be looking for a little more maturity in their contestants this time around.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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